UVODNIK EDITORIAL Spoštovane bralke in spoštovani bralci! Z vese- ljem vam predstavljamo 29. številko Akademije MM, ki obsega pet izvirnih znanstvenih člankov. Njihova vsebina je zelo raznolika in naslavlja raz- lična aktualna vprašanja in izzive, s katerimi se srečujejo tržniki. Nova številka revije je nastajala v obdobju pandemije covid-19, ki je zelo spre- menila vedenje porabnikov ter prizadela podjetja v številnih panogah. Ne glede na dejavnosti, v katerih podjetja poslujejo, spremenjene razmere zahtevajo nenehno prilagajanje in iskanje novih virov vrednosti za porabnike, podjetja in druge deležnike. Članki, ki jih predstavljamo v tej šte- vilki Akademije MM, prispevajo k razvoju trženj- skega znanja v slovenskem prostoru in tržnikom praktikom lahko pomagajo pri poslovnem odlo- čanju, raziskovalce akademike pa lahko spodbu- dijo k prepoznavanju novih relevantnih razisko- valnih vprašanj in k nadaljnjim raziskavam. Aleksandra Kregar v prvem prispevku prouči, kako direktorji podjetij, ki delujejo v industriji izdelkov široke potrošnje v regiji nekdanje Jugo- slavije, zaznavajo strateško vlogo trženja v svojih podjetjih. Avtorica najprej predstavi pregled literature o vlogi trženja in opredeli dejavnike, ki vplivajo na strateški položaj trženja v podjetju. V empiričnem delu predstavi ugotovitve kvalitativne raziskave v obliki delno strukturiranih intervjujev, ki kritično opozarjajo na pomanjkljivo razvitost strateške vloge trženjske funkcije v podjetjih. Av- torica osvetli glavne razloge za takšno stanje in ponudi priporočila za krepitev trženjske funkcije v Dear readers! We are pleased to present the 29th issue of Akademija MM, which includes five original scientific papers. Their content is very di- verse and addresses various relevant issues and challenges faced by marketers. The new issue of the journal was created during the Covid-19 pandemic, which greatly changed consumer behaviour and adversely affected companies in many industries. Regardless of the industry in which companies operate, the changed situation requires constant adjustment and the search for new sources of value for consumers, companies, and other stakeholders. The papers presented in this issue of Akademija MM contribute to the development of marketing knowledge in Slovenia and can help marketers practitioners in business decision-making, while academic researchers might be encouraged to identify new research questions and to conduct further research. In the first paper, Aleksandra Kregar examines how CEOs of companies operating in Fast Mov- ing Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry in the for- mer Yugoslav region perceive the strategic role of marketing in their companies. The author first provides a literature review on the role of market- ing and identifies the factors that influence the strategic position of marketing in the company. In the empirical part, she presents the findings of a qualitative study in the form of semi-structured interviews, which critically point out that the strategic role of marketing function in companies 6 is insufficiently developed. The author highlights the main reasons for such a situation and offers recommendations for strengthening the mar- keting function in companies. The implications are relevant both for marketing professionals in practice and for educational institutions that aim to equip future marketers with the required knowledge and skills to operate successfully in practice. In the second paper, Lucija Korbar and Maja Konečnik Ruzzier discuss the role of influencer marketing in changing the tourist behaviour. Although the use of influencer marketing has increased significantly in recent years due to the growing popularity of social networks, the authors observe that there is surprisingly little scientific research on influencer marketing in tourism. Their study on the sample of Slovenian tourists shows that while the influencers’ posts can affect the tourists’ wants, they do not have a decisive impact on buying decisions. Consum- ers also do not perceive these posts as a cred- ible source of information. The present empirical study can serve as an important starting point for further research on the role of influencer market- ing and it is interesting not only for tourist service providers, but also for researchers interested in factors of consumer behaviour. In the third paper, Maja Zalaznik, Gašper Pavli, and Gregor Pfajfar address very contemporary issues related to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on sponsorship in sport, and thereby make an important contribution to understanding sport in Slovenia in the current situation. Based on the literature review, the authors develop a conceptual model of the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, changes in stakeholders’ expectations, and sponsorship effects. The mod- el is empirically tested on a sample of sponsors and larger sports property owners. This research offers an interesting insight into the differences in the expectations of both parties in the relation- ship and emphasizes the importance of coopera- tion with other stakeholders. Based on the study findings, the authors propose a new model for future studies on sponsorships. The article is very relevant for sponsors, sports properties and, more broadly, for anyone interested in sports marketing. In the fourth paper, Natalija Rebrica and Urša Golob focus on the very important concept of consumer engagement, which is gaining in im- portance in the marketing literature. The authors aim to examine how the consumer engagement on social media brand profiles affects attitudes towards the brand, referrals, and purchase podjetjih. Implikacije so relevantne tako za trženj- ske strokovnjake v praksi kot tudi za izobraže- valne ustanove, ki želijo opremiti bodoče tržnike s potrebnimi znanji in veščinami za uspešno delovanje v praksi. Lucija Korbar in Maja Konečnik Ruzzier v dru- gem prispevku obravnavata vlogo vplivnostnega trženja pri spreminjanju vedenja turistov. Čeprav se je uporaba vplivnostnega trženja v zadnjih letih zelo povečala zaradi naraščajoče priljublje- nosti družbenih omrežij, avtorici ugotavljata, da je znanstvenih raziskav o vplivnostnem trženju na področju turizma presenetljivo malo. Njuna empirična raziskava na vzorcu slovenskih turistov kaže, da objave vplivnežev sicer lahko vplivajo na želje turistov, vendar nimajo odločujočega vpliva na nakupne odločitve. Porabniki tovrstnih objav tudi ne zaznavajo kot verodostojni vir informacij. Predstavljena empirična raziskava je lahko po- membno izhodišče nadaljnjih raziskav o pomenu vplivnostnega trženja, zanimiva pa je ne samo za ponudnike turističnih storitev, temveč tudi za raziskovalce, ki jih zanimajo dejavniki nakupnega vedenja porabnikov. Maja Zalaznik, Gašper Pavli in Gregor Pfajfar v tretjem prispevku naslovijo zelo aktualna vpraša- nja o vplivu pandemije covid-19 na sponzorstvo v športu, zato pomembno prispevajo k razume- vanju športa v Sloveniji v trenutnih razmerah. Avtorji na podlagi pregleda literature oblikujejo konceptualni model o posledicah pandemije covid-19, spremembah v pričakovanjih dele- žnikov in učinkih sponzorstev. Model empirično preverijo na vzorcu sponzorjev in večjih imetni- kov športne lastnine. Raziskava ponuja zanimiv vpogled v razlike v pričakovanjih obeh strani v odnosu in poudarja pomen sodelovanja z drugimi deležniki. Avtorji na podlagi ugotovitev raziskave predlagajo nov model za prihodnje proučevanje sponzorstev. Članek je zelo aktualen za sponzor- je, imetnike športne lastnine in širše gledano za vse, ki jih zanima trženje v športu. Natalija Rebrica in Urša Golob se v četrtem prispevku osredotočata na zelo aktualni koncept vključenosti porabnikov, ki v trženjski literaturi vse bolj pridobiva na pomenu. Avtorici zanima, kako vključenost porabnikov na spletnih druž- benih profilih znamk vpliva na stališča do znam- ke, priporočila in nakupno namero. V pregledu literature ugotavljata, da so zelo redke raziskave proučile vpliv vključenosti porabnikov v sple- tna družbena omrežja na vedenje porabnikov v fizičnem okolju. Njuna kvantitativna raziskava na primeru izbrane znamke zato pomembno zapol- njuje vrzel ne samo v domači, temveč tudi tuji literaturi. Raziskava kaže, da vključenost porab- 7 nikov na družbenem omrežju pozitivno vpliva na porabnikova stališča do blagovne znamke in pri- poročila znamke, na nakupno namero pa vpliva le posredno prek stališča do blagovne znamke. Iva Starc in Barbara Čater v petem prispevku proučita, kdaj so otrokom pomembne blagovne znamke neživilskih izdelkov. Trženje, ki je usmer- jeno na otroke, sproža pomembna etična vpra- šanja, zato je pomembno razumeti, kako mlajši in starejši otroci dojemajo blagovne znamke, v kolikšni meri se zavedajo blagovnih znamk in kakšen pomen pripisujejo blagovnim znamkam v različnih izdelčnih kategorijah. Avtorici poiščeta odgovore na ta vprašanja s pomočjo fokusnih skupin mlajših in starejših otrok, ki jih proučita v kontekstu različnih kategorij neživilskih izdelkov. Analiza odkriva razlike v pomembnosti in priklicu blagovnih znamk glede na starost otrok. Raziska- va prispeva k obstoječemu znanju na področju socializacije otrok kot porabnikov in prinaša relevantne implikacije za podjetja, ki trženjske aktivnosti usmerjajo na otroke. Vsem avtorjem se v imenu uredništva zahva- ljujem za prispevke. Prav tako se zahvaljujem recenzentom, ki so s svojimi konstruktivnimi pre- dlogi in komentarji avtorjem prispevke pomagali izboljšati. Hvala tudi vsem vam, ki berete revijo Akademijo MM. Želim vam zanimivo in koristno branje! Doc. dr. Mateja Bodlaj Urednica 29. številke Akademije MM intention. In the literature review, they find that very few studies have examined the impact of consumer engagement on social networking sites (SNS) on consumer behaviour in the physi- cal environment. Their quantitative study in the case of the selected brand therefore significantly fills the gap not only in the domestic but also in the foreign literature. The study shows that the consumer engagement on SNS has a positive effect on the consumers’ attitude towards the brand and referrals, yet only an indirect effect on the purchase intention through attitude towards the brand. In the fifth paper, Iva Starc and Barbara Čater examine when brands of non-food products are important to children. Marketing to children raises important ethical issues, so it is important to understand how younger and older children perceive brands, how much they are aware of brands, and what importance they attach to brands in different product categories. The authors find answers to these questions with the help of focus groups of younger and older children, in the context of different categories of non-food products. The analysis reveals differ- ences in the brand importance and brand recall according to the age of the children. The study contributes to the existing knowledge in the field of socialization of children as consumers and brings relevant implications for companies using marketing activities to target children. On behalf of the editorial staff, I would like to thank all authors for their contributions. I would also like to thank the reviewers who helped the authors to improve their papers with constructive suggestions and comments. Let me also thank all of you who read Akademija MM. I wish you an interesting and useful reading! Assist. Prof. Mateja Bodlaj Editor of the 29 th Issue of Akademija MM 8